He Broke Through, That Fast?

Seeing Xia Yu's expression, Lin Xulun was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "A hundred million is just the starting figure..."

"Teacher, think about it. If we can refine more and better pills, the entire Great Xia Dynasty, and even the entire Eastern Polar Wasteland, will use our pills..."

"Our prospects will be boundless! Even superior-grade spirit stones will pile up like mountains!"

Xia Yu swallowed, then forced two words through his teeth. "I'm in!"

"Teacher, this is the Pill Academy's supreme elder token. Please keep it safe!"

With utmost respect, Lin Xulun presented a token.

Xia Yu's eyes blazed with light as he solemnly accepted it.

Lin Xulun turned around and said, "Today, I had the honor of becoming Xia Yu's student. My treat! Have the Top Scholar Tower send over ten tables of their finest banquet dishes."

Cheers immediately rose all around them.

"The last time Junior Brother Lin treated us was twenty years ago, I believe," a teacher from the Confucian Academy said wistfully.

"No, it was twenty years and eleven months ago. He refined a supreme-grade King Pill then and became a half-step Emperor-Rank Alchemist."

Another teacher from the Confucian Academy hurried to correct him.

"Hahaha! Let's feast at Junior Brother Lin's expense tonight. Opportunities like this are rare!"

Zhao Sihai, dean of the Weapon Academy, stepped forward with a hearty laugh to offer his congratulations.

Zhuge Busi, dean of the Formation Academy, frowned deeply, his fingers moving through one calculation after another.

In the end, he discovered nothing.

Beside them, Su Deyu was thoroughly frustrated. Is this still my disciple?

Many people from the Dao-Seeking Academy came forward to congratulate Lin Xulun, but he turned and left. He wanted to study the techniques Xia Yu had just used, all of which he had committed to memory.

As for exchanging pleasantries with these people, who had time to waste on that?

"Little Brother Xia Yu, supreme elder of the Pill Academy, you'll have to give our imperial family a discount on pills from now on."

The Seventh Princess, An Qing, looked at Xia Yu with a radiant smile. A sixteen-year-old Emperor-Rank Alchemist had truly stunned her.

"You're too kind, Seventh Princess. It's just an empty title. I don't know anything."

Xia Yu spoke casually. He was not foolish enough to agree outright when he had yet to learn what the situation was.

An Qing gave a soft huff. "You called me Sister An Qing in Huai City. It hasn't been that long, and now you're calling me Seventh Princess so distantly? Never mind. I'll go back to the palace instead of visiting Sister Ming Yue."

With that, An Qing turned to leave.

Xia Yu froze. How had she gotten angry just like that?

But her final words gave him a fright.

Without another word, he grabbed An Qing's hand and sidled up to her, his face wreathed in smiles.

"My dear Sister Qing, I was only teasing! Don't worry. From now on, the imperial family will get thirty percent more pills at ten percent less cost."

"Really?" An Qing kept a stern face.

"Of course! Your little brother Yu always keeps his word. Once a gentleman gives his word, even a team of four horses can't chase it down!"

Xia Yu thumped his chest in assurance.

"Will you still call me Seventh Princess, then?" An Qing lifted her chin.

"What Seventh Princess? I don't know any. I only know Sister An Qing, my dear Sister Qing, my one and only Sister Qing!"

Xia Yu vowed earnestly, his expression solemn.

"Pfft!"

At the sight of Xia Yu, An Qing could not help bursting into laughter.

That smile instantly left Xia Yu staring.

She's so beautiful!

A beauty who could make the moon hide and flowers blush!

A beauty who could topple cities and kingdoms!

Xia Yu could not help swallowing. Holding An Qing's delicate hand, he could not resist stroking it.

Beside them, Su Deyu and everyone else from the Dao-Seeking Academy froze at the sight.

They looked as though they had all been struck by an immobilization spell.

That was the Seventh Princess, the greatest beauty in the Great Xia Dynasty, a female Sword Cultivator with peerless talent, and the foremost princess of the imperial family.

Yet this noble woman was now shaking with laughter like a flowering branch in the breeze. Clearly, she had fallen for the Pill Academy's new supreme elder.

At that moment, countless young people from the Dao-Seeking Academy felt their hearts shatter all over the ground.

The finest cabbage in the Great Xia Dynasty was about to be rooted up by someone's snout. How agonizing!

Then An Qing noticed the gazes around her and hurriedly restrained herself.

"Little Brother Yu, take me to see your sister. I haven't met her yet."

An Qing promptly changed the subject.

"Sure! Come on, Sister Qing. I'll show you the way!"

Xia Yu was delighted. Sister An Qing was quite wonderful.

Seeing his master Su Deyu's strange expression at the courtyard entrance, Xia Yu smiled sheepishly. "Master, I didn't expect Martial Uncle Lin to do that either..."

"No need to explain. I understand..."

Su Deyu shook his head. He badly wanted to give his disciple a scolding.

But he suddenly realized that he could no longer afford to offend this newly accepted disciple.

After all, Xia Yu was now the Pill Academy's supreme elder. If he decided to cut expenditures for the entire academy, there would be serious trouble.

For the first time, Su Deyu felt truly stifled in his role as a master!

Xia Yu scratched his head. Things had simply changed too quickly.

"Then, Master, I'll take Sister Qing to see Sister Yao."

"Go on, go on."

Su Deyu waved and graciously stepped aside with a smile.

As his gaze shifted, he saw that Xia Yu was still holding An Qing's hand, and his heart gave a jolt.

If this fellow marries the Seventh Princess, with his talent on top of that...

The chance for the Dao-Seeking Academy to rise again has arrived!

Su Deyu nodded firmly, silently making a decision.

When he looked up, he happened to spot Shen Yuxuan and asked gravely, "What exactly did your youngest junior brother do?"

"He refined Separation Fire Glazed Glass Pills!"

"He succeeded on his first attempt?"

"Yes, six at once. Martial Uncle Lin said they were perfect-grade King Pills, just a hair short of supreme-grade King Pills."

"No wonder!"

Su Deyu finally understood.

But the next moment, his heart began pounding.

He had thought Xia Yu only possessed monstrous talent in martial arts. He had never imagined his talent for alchemy would be just as monstrous.

Could his talent for artifact refining and formations turn out to be just as monstrous?

If that really happens, how are other geniuses supposed to go on living?

Still, he had to admit that a flicker of hope truly stirred in his heart at that moment. If Xia Yu really was that gifted, it would be wonderful.

He shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself.

Meanwhile, the three young people had gathered in the room.

"Greetings, Seventh Princess!" Xia Yao was about to bow to An Qing when An Qing caught her.

Without any cultivation, Xia Yao was forcibly held upright by An Qing.

"Sister Yao, you're being far too polite. We're sisters. We're both Xia Yu's older sisters, so that makes us family. Why would family need to bow to each other?"

An Qing was in a splendid mood.

In the eighteen years since her birth, she had heard far too much flattery, but only Xia Yu's words felt genuine to her!

Xia Yao did not insist. They were all young, not rigid sticklers for etiquette.

Then An Qing suddenly smiled and said, "Since we're sisters, who's older? I'm eighteen, born in October. What about you, Sister Yao?"

"Sister Qing, you're younger. Sister Yao is eighteen too, but she was born in August," Xia Yu immediately answered.

An Qing nodded. "All right, then. I'll call you Sister Yao, you can call me An Qing, and I'll call him Little Brother Yu."

"Seventh Princess, we're only commoners." Xia Yao was startled.

"Sister Yao, if you call me Seventh Princess again, I'll get angry!" An Qing immediately pouted.

If anyone outside had seen this, they would have been scared out of their wits.

Only one person ever got to enjoy An Qing's coy pouting: the reigning emperor.

Xia Yao wanted to say more, but Xia Yu took his sister's hand and said with a smile, "Sister, Sister Qing is a good person. Since that's what she wants, just agree."

At present, Xia Yu did not dare offend An Qing. After all, Shangguan Ming Yue still needed her help.

But in his heart, seeing An Qing like this made him feel warm and wonderfully at ease.

There's no shame in calling her sister.

Besides, if I tell people the Seventh Princess is my sister, that means I have someone backing me up.

Who would dare mess with me?

I'll have Sister Qing execute all nine generations of their family. No, ten generations.

At that moment, Xia Yu was in a very good mood.

Then Shen Yuxuan knocked and entered, asking Xia Yu to come outside.

Once Xia Yu stepped out, he saw his master waiting for him.

"Little Yu, you're my final disciple. As your master, I ought to give you a welcoming gift. Come with me to the Martial Academy's treasury."

Without allowing any argument, Su Deyu grabbed Xia Yu and led him away.

He needed to nurture their bond. He was Xia Yu's master, and Xia Yu belonged to the Martial Academy. He could not let Xia Yu's heart favor only the Pill Academy.

Xia Yu was the Dao-Seeking Academy's chance to return to its peak.

"You seem to be short on cultivation resources. This is the Martial Academy's private treasury. Take as much as you can carry."

To strengthen their bond as master and disciple, Su Deyu pushed open the doors to one of the Martial Academy's treasuries.

Xia Yu took a close look and was instantly dumbstruck.

There was only one thing inside the treasury: a small mountain of spirit stones.

In truth, low-grade spirit stones could simply be kept in Heaven and Earth Bags.

Su Deyu had arranged this deliberately. When Lin Xulun mentioned spirit stones, he had seen Xia Yu's eyes go wide and immediately thought of a way to move him.

Sure enough, it worked well.

He had even borrowed some of these low-grade spirit stones, enough to fill several Heaven and Earth Bags.

All of it had been for this very effect.

"Master, do you really mean it? I can take as much as I can carry?" Xia Yu swallowed and asked again to make sure.

"Of course. As my final disciple, you must work hard to raise your cultivation. How could you do that without spirit stones?" Su Deyu said generously.

He knew perfectly well that even if Xia Yu had a Heaven and Earth Bag, he could not possibly fit them all inside.

"All right, Master. I won't stand on ceremony, then."

Xia Yu stepped forward and thrust out his belly.

In an instant, the entire mountain of spirit stones vanished.

"This..."

Su Deyu froze on the spot.

Thinking his eyes had deceived him, he rubbed them. The stones really were gone.

Every last one!

Su Deyu immediately regretted it. He had borrowed so many of those spirit stones!

This...

He looked at Xia Yu as though he were a monster.

How did this fellow take them all?

Could that ring be a Heaven and Earth Ring? But even a Heaven and Earth Ring couldn't hold that much!

Su Deyu spotted the ring on Xia Yu's left hand and felt utterly miserable.

"How did you pack away all the spirit stones?" he could not help asking.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful aura burst skyward from right beside him.

"He broke through?"

Su Deyu froze. That fast?